Go on a Haunting Horseback Safari on the English Moors

We had been riding our horses hard for six hours across Dartmoor National Park, in southwest England, when we came upon a circle of standing stones, one of 18 such enigmas scattered across the park’s 368 square miles. Not much is known about their purpose, but this one was assembled by the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age people a few millennia ago. Other, even older stone tableaus on Dartmoor are tombs that predate Stonehenge, England’s iconic megalithic site, by 2,000 years. And while Dartmoor’s circles, hewed from local granite, aren’t as large as Stonehenge, they are more atmospheric. A busy road runs right past Stonehenge, but Dartmoor’s circles are silhouetted against nothing but silent, fenceless bog and umber hills.

I picked up the history from books, but it was only when I walked around the park one spring that I felt the ancient texture of Dartmoor in my bones. The land has been worn by centuries of storms, trodden by sheep and wild ponies. Spring, summer, winter—on Dartmoor, the English weather is even more unreliable than elsewhere in the country. When the mist comes in, or the mizzle as it’s called there, the moor becomes as disorienting as it is haunting. If you see a rare daffodil, in a distant churchyard or beside a road, it’s like seeing a beacon out at sea, the yellow cutting through the mist and lighting up this landscape with its otherwise moody palette of heathery purple and peaty greens.

“I’ve been out riding on this moor and not been able to see past my horse’s ears,” said Phil Heard, a fourth-generation Dartmoor farmer who now guides for a new Dartmoor-based horseback safari outfit called Liberty Trails, “but drop down a couple of hundred feet, and the view might be completely clear.” I’ve ridden with Liberty Trails twice: the first time on a day-ride last July, which inspired me to return three months later on a three-night, 50-mile transect of the moors, bookended with comfortable hotels at the start and finish. On the second night, we stayed in a camp of white canvas yurts pitched on the banks of the West Dart River. The tents’ interiors were elegantly decorated with swags of embroidered Indian cottons. The horses grazed in the adjacent field. Picnic lunches with white tablecloths were waiting for us on the open moor. For tea in camp, we ate scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Dinner was homemade lamb curry.

“It’s not like trail riding,” said Mr. Heard, “You’ve got to be confident about galloping free.” For the first mile, on a rare sunny day, the way was sheltered on a bridle path through pretty woodland. Then we galloped over the swoops and folds of moorland, across whaleback ridges into hollows as black as inkwells. Where the moor had been drained by man-made leats—the local word for drainage ditches—the going was easy; where the wet pooled in bogs, we took our time. Mr. Heard said that there are pieces of ground that could suck an animal down to its belly, that once it had taken eight men to pull a horse out of the peat.

“Two years ago I was riding this part of Dartmoor when the fog came in,” said Mr. Heard as we approached the stone circle, in the middle of a pine copse: “We got to this point in the track, and the horses stopped dead. They slammed the brakes on, and for five, 10 minutes, wouldn’t move. They knew something about this place. I could feel it in the way they behaved.” He pointed out a curious depression in the ground, which dissected the stone circle as if it were once a path. These ancient ley lines—some interpret them as energy lines, others as the footworn routes of pilgrims and drovers—crisscross fields in southwest England. One of them cuts through the land above my rural farmhouse in neighboring Dorset. From my bedroom, I can almost see the grooves in the Earth, like the shadow of another time you don’t want to erase by putting up a fence or constructing a barn.

On Dartmoor that feeling of being in a sacred, uniquely wild place was reaffirmed the night we camped on the riverbank, on a farm belonging to Roger Winsor. Mr. Winsor and I got to talking around the fire. He pointed out his cattle barn, which caught the moonlight. He said the farm was listed in the “Domesday Book,” a land survey of England completed in 1086, and that our tents were pitched in a field with 300 species of wildflower—in June, orchids bloom among them. Mr. Winsor has twice sent seeds to Prince Charles who, he said, scattered them in his garden at Highgrove.

When I turned in that night, I listened to the river bubbling through the valley. I heard the warble of a bird, perhaps a skylark or a pipit—and the sound of our horses whinnying to each other in the darkness. As I dozed in and out of wakefulness sleeping on my bed of orchids, I wondered if this is how all wild places are meant to be experienced: at a horse’s pace, making us aware of the ghosts and ley lines that are far more indelible than the vapor trails of airliners passing overhead.

From Facebook…

JUST THREE MONTHS TO GO UNTIL OUR WONDERFUL RIDE WITH MARY KING!Three months today our guests will gather at the wonderful Bovey Castle hotel to join Mary King MBE ahead of three nights and two glorious full days of riding on Dartmoor.Exploring in company with one of eventing's best loved legends, led by expert local guides with full ground crew support, riders will tackle each full day in the saddle with a stop for lunch at a stunning beauty spot.While horses stretch, graze, drink and roll, you eat, drink and relax before mounting up again for the afternoon's ride.Before dinner there is time for a swim in Bovey's pool, a few holes of golf or a visit to the spa before a lovely long bath and pre-dinner drinks..We've just two spaces remaining on this very special ride. For more details visit liberty-trails.com/horse-riding-experiences/ride-dartmoor-mary-king-mbe-experience/... See MoreSee Less

IT'S A GOOD JOB THEY'RE TOUGH ON DARTMOOR...There's a reason the British Army trains on Dartmoor so much —you soon see who's got grit and who hasn't.Most people who live on Dartmoor have plenty of determination, coupled with a deep attachment to the place, because at times like this you wouldn't last without it! Sheep have to be fed, horses mucked out and given some sort of exercise. Water must be fetched from the house when all the outdoor taps are frozen. Gloves have to come off to fiddle with tack and buckles.You have to think hard about what kind of vehicle will get down the roads.. and so it goes on.But because Dartmoor has farmers, horse owners and others who are tough enough to cope with the weather like today's (and stills don't show the howling gales that come with it) there are fabulous horses to hire and enjoy in the spring and summer on Dartmoor - for which we are all so grateful!We salute you then those of you who manage stock, farms, horses and more. It's a flipping tough job sometimes!Find out more about our trips at www.liberty-trails.com... See MoreSee Less

SIX MONTHS TODAY...Liberty Trails will welcome guests to our THIRD The Dartmoor Derby. It's our biggest single event of the year, with up to 40 guests total tackling 50 miles across Dartmoor in small guided teams with full ground support.Specially built for the Derby is a luxury camp in the heart of the moors, with fabulous accommodation for riders and horses alike and THE most wonderful regional food served in our dining yurt.. These pictures give you some flavour of it. But for the rest of the year Liberty Trails focuses its energies on organising bespoke riding trips for one party at a time on Dartmoor tackling whatever length of ride you wish, from a range of different accommodation options, on your horse or one of ours. So whether it's a family break, some girl time with horses, a solo trip away from the hurly burly of day to day life, or a truly different way to celebrate an important milestone, come and see what we do! Most of all we love sharing the sensation that is Dartmoor and seeing our guests leave SMILING from ear to ear...Find out more at www.dartmoorderby.com or www.liberty-trails.com or email enquiries@liberty-trails.comOfficial kit partner ToggiPhotos by Liberty Trails/ Hamish Mitchell and Polly A Baldwin ... See MoreSee Less

THANK YOU SARA COX FOR YOUR LOVELY WORDS.....about your experience of riding with Liberty Trails in our The Dartmoor Derby, in your lovely interview for Country Living this month."I still love riding, especially in Devon..I've done the Dartmoor Derby twice and I'm hoping to do it again. It's sort of like an endurance riding, but a really lovely one...," says Sara. "We hire beautiful horses and embark on three full days of riding, with glamping overnight. There's plenty of delicious local food and drink too..." Sara is a very keen and accomplished rider, and besides being pretty glam on camera she's also down to earth, fit, practical and a brilliant riding companion (what else would you expect from a farmer's daughter?) DID YOU KNOW that Sara is accompanying a very special one off weekend ride run by Liberty Trails this spring based from the lovely, five-star Bovey Castle hotel? Why not come and ride with her yourself? For details email enquiries@liberty-trails.com and visit www.liberty-trails.comPhotos LIberty Trails/ Hamish Mitchell ... See MoreSee Less

COLD TODAY... BUT SUCH A WARM WELCOME AWAITS YOU IN 2018!The moors may be chilly today but our phones are red hot as we hit the height of the planning and booking season for our luxury guided rides on Dartmoor. Whether you want to bring a party of friends for some "you time", want an unforgettable trip away with one very special person; want to bring your own horses or rent one of ours; you may be celebrating a big birthday, or you might be tempted to join one of our celebrity ride hosts such as Mary King MBE or the lovely Sara Cox from BBC TV, we have the ride for you...Not without reason do we have a full card of five-star reviews. Perfection is our goal, every time.. and we're blessed to have the most stunningly perfect riding area in the world in Dartmoor.Find out more at www.liberty-trails.com... See MoreSee Less

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to experience the magic of Dartmoor; you've created memories that we will keep forever. You have shared Dartmoor's unique beauty and your knowledge and kindness have exposed us to a fantastic riding experience. The horses you provided were absolutely beautiful and were a pleasure to ride. You have enabled us to enjoy a breathtaking experience that we can only hope to revisit in the future.

Chrissy, Lin, Jane and Glen, Gloucestershire

Thanks to all for a great couple of days riding, great horses, people and organisation and of course the weather was perfect. Not sitting on a horse until Friday so hopefully the bits that matter will have recovered by then. I fancy some cattle mustering next year and will definitely be back.

Clive Edwards, Leicestershire

Thank you all for a fantastic weekend. Not only did we enjoy our riding adventure but the horses seemed to thoroughly enjoy the peace and quiet of your yards. The dawn- break ride was inspired and one we always remember. Special thanks to Bob for the hearty breakfasts.